Did You Know?

Roman Statues were made with detachable heads. One head could be taken off and replaced by yet another one.

Magic, Myth And Monsters: The Middle Ages

“Death comes for the Cardinal” - from a printed blockbook with hand color, c. 1455–58, an early example of the Dance of Death (click photo for larger image)The Middle Ages was a remarkable thousand-year-long civilization—underscored by a wholly unique culture and artistic tradition. The art of the era was developed by the people of the day, without much influence from what had preceded it. Medieval art evolved from being incredibly naive to highly sophisticated, and its legacy would be lasting. 

Dr. Jill will be leading a six-week online class on Tuesdays, April 12 – May 17 – 10:00 – 11:00 AM. In this course, we’ll thoroughly explore the exciting art of the medieval world and identify the threads that connect it to subsequent traditions. We’ll see that the art of the Middle Ages has remained very much alive throughout time—and that evolving artistic innovations are quite indebted to it! 

Click HERE for More Info and to Register

Block books, also called xylographica, are short books of up to 50 leaves, block printed in Europe in the second half of the 15th century as woodcuts with blocks carved to include both text and illustrations. The Danse Macabre, also called the Dance of Death, is an artistic genre of allegory of the Late Middle Ages on the universality of death: no matter one's station in life, the danse macabre unites all.

Vermeer: Harmony and Order

Johannes Vermeer - “The Girl with the Red Hat” - c. 1665 - Oil on panel - 22.8 x 18 cm (9 x 7 1/16 in.) - National Gallery of Art - Washington, D.C. (click photo for larger image)Dutch artist Johannes (Jan) Vermeer (1632-1635) created paintings that are among the most beloved and revered images in the history of art. He only enjoyed moderate success during his lifetime. After his death, his paintings continued to be admired by a small group of connoisseurs, primarily in Delft and Amsterdam.

By the 19th century, a number of Vermeer’s paintings had been attributed to other, more prolific Dutch artists. However, when the French painter-critic Étiene-Joseph-Théophile Thoré (who wrote under the pseudonym William Bürger) published his enthusiastic descriptions of Vermeer’s paintings in 1866, passion for the artist’s work reached a broader public. As private collectors and public museums actively sought to acquire his rare paintings during the early years of the 20th century, prices for his work skyrocketed. This situation encouraged the production of forgeries, the most notorious of which were those painted by Han van Meegeren in the 1930s. At the end of the 20th century, Vermeer’s fame continued to rise, fueled in part by an exhibition of his work held in 1995–96 at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, and at the Mauritshuis in The Hague. The exhibition also drew public attention to the painting “Girl with a Pearl Earring” (c. 1665), which was featured on the National Gallery’s promotional materials and quickly became one of Vermeer’s most famous pieces by the turn of the 21st century.

Although only about 36 of his paintings survive, these rare works are among the greatest treasures in the world’s finest museums. The remarkably small oeuvre of the artist has only increased in popularity across generations. Vermeer found beneath the accidents of nature a realm infused with harmony and order, and, in giving visual form to that realm, he revealed the poetry existing within transient moments of human existence. (Excerpted from Britannica Online)

"The Girl with the Red Hat" is small even by Vermeer's standards; it is his only known work that was executed on wood panel and, most importantly, its immediacy and intimacy contrast sharply with the meditative mood of the artist’s other paintings. Despite its modest dimensions, a strong visual impact results from the large scale of the girl. Brought close to the picture plane, she communicates directly with the viewer. Her direct gaze and slightly parted lips impart a sense of spontaneity and anticipation. (Excerpted from The Artchive)

Quote of the Day

"There is no must in art because art is free." - Wassily Kandinsky

Impact 2022: Art That Bears Witness

Barbara Kruger - Untitled (Your body is a battleground) - 1989 - photographic silkscreen on vinyl - 112 x 112 in. (284.48 x 284.48 cm) - The BROAD Museum - Los Angeles, CA (click photo for larger image)As always, Bethany Arts Community will be mounting significant exhibits in 2022. A call for art for “Impact 2022: Art that Bears Witness” is described as follows on the BAC website:

“Throughout history, artists have played a vital role to bear witness to society’s injustices. As a democracy we have the right to create and exhibit protest art. Whether it is about racism, sexism, human rights, immigration, LGBTQ, food insecurity, housing, health care, criminal justice, or the environment, the creative community has informed, provoked, and influenced for change. Artists amplifying social issues are varied and include examples such as the many paintings of George Floyd by artists around the world amplifying the pain of the Black Lives Matter movement, or the 1937 painting Guernica, by Picasso, with its powerful anti-war statement, or Barbara Kruger's silkscreen, Your Body is A Battleground, created for the March For Women's Lives.“

The exhibition will include a variety of media such as painting, sculpture, video, light, photography, and multimedia.

Click HERE to learn more and/or to participate. Submission Deadline: January 31, 2022

The image featured here is of an untitled work (Your body is a battleground) that was produced by American artist Barbara Kruger (born 1945) for the Women's March on Washington in support of reproductive freedom. The woman's face, disembodied, split in positive and negative exposures, and obscured by text, marks a stark divide. This image is simultaneously art and protest.